Jamie Banes is an Upstate New York-based artist recognized for his mixed media creations evoking dystopian architectural models and cityscape dioramas. Primarily working with found and collected materials, he crafts works that possess a dual nature—familiar yet strange, specific yet mysterious. These assemblages function as snapshots of our present reality, symbolizing the complexities of difficult and uncertain times.
Banes's artistic practice is rooted in his blue-collar upbringing, where he absorbed the value of skilled labor and the significance of manual craftsmanship. His early immersion in construction trades played a formative role in shaping his enduring interest in architecture and the built environment. His experience in the US Navy as a surgical technologist provided an additional layer of influence, as he observed distinct parallels between the operating room and the construction site, particularly in their shared reliance on specialized terminology, precise techniques, intricate instruments, and keen manual agility. This multifaceted background informed his later academic pursuits, which include a BFA in studio art from the University of New Mexico and an MFA from UC Davis.
For over two decades, Banes has cultivated a diverse professional career spanning visual art and architecture. He has contributed to esteemed institutions such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley, and the Graduate School of Architecture at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Since relocating to Oneonta, New York, in 2021, Banes has actively integrated himself into the regional arts scene through his affiliation with the Community Arts Network of Oneonta and an interim role as Adjunct Lecturer in Sculpture at Hartwick College.
His artwork has garnered recognition through exhibitions at notable venues including the de Young Museum, Bedford Gallery, the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, Root Division, Slate Contemporary, Inclusions Gallery, the Exploratorium, and Aqua Art Miami.